With five quarterbacks vying for the starting spot in new UCLA football head coach Chip Kelly’s system, Devon Modster could be the leading candidate because of his skills and experience.
I coined the term and I expect you to use it. Tell your friends. The UCLA football team has a “Quarterback Battle Royale” and it will be magnificent.
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This fall, Chip Kelly will be evaluating five quarterbacks to lead his run-based spread offense that was made popular in Oregon. Matt Lynch, Austin Burton, Wilton Speight, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and of course, Devon Modster.
Modster was a big deal in high school and it was an even bigger deal when he decommitted from Arizona and committed to UCLA. He was a dual-threat QB that resembled Brett Hundley as he has a strong arm and can run away the rock when needed. It was thought that he was going to be the backup for Josh Rosen back in 2016, but a lack of development and a fear of burning a redshirt had former coach Jim Mora keeping him and Lynch on the sideline in their true freshmen.
If you remember 2016, Rosen suffered a season ending injury six games in and was replaced by former walk-on Mike Fafaul. UCLA went 1-5 in their last six games of the season. I would like to think that things could have been better with a scholarship player in control, but playing the “what if” game helps no one.
Still, that pushed Modster’s work with the Bruins up a year and he finally got his shot, although under undesirable circumstances. In 2017, Rosen once again suffered a rash of injuries, giving Modster his “at bat” and he did a decent job. Against Washington, he almost matched Rosen’s game stats going 7/12 for 77 yards and one touchdown. In the next game against Utah, the Bruins were brutalized, but Modster did what he could, going 8/12 for 103 yards and another touchdown.
He got a lot more comfortable in his next two games. In the regular season finale against Cal, he was inserted into the game in the second half and went 14/18 for 191. In the Cactus Bowl, despite the 35-17 loss, he went 21/34 for 295 yards and two touchdowns.
I do not mean to bog you down with stats, but it shows one thing… Modster can improve.
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This past spring, he was consistently running with the first team and he did a fine job directing the offense. Then came the spring game and did not have a good showing. He went 7/11 for 37 yards and one interception. It was actually sophomore-to-be, Austin Burton, who actually had the best showing with 6/8 for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Immediately the narrative had shifted and many questioned if Modster was still the guy for the job. The answer is “yes”. He has not won it yet, but he has shown enough to prove that he can handle this offense, especially with the dual-threat skills he made famous at Tesoro High.
This fall, Chip Kelly is going to work closely with his quarterbacks and will evaluate them on their progress, which means Modster can still get better and will have a chance to lead this team. He has proven that it is possible to do, now he just has to step up and take that starting spot for himself.
The spring game was simply a glorified practice and everyone has a bad practice now and then. Modster just has to keep moving forward and play his game. He already has a connection with his team, he has the legs to run the ball for Kelly, now he just has to relax and listen to what his coach tells him.
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The starting gig is still anyone’s to win and with a spring in Kelly’s offense already under his belt, Modster could definitely step up and be they guy that leads UCLA into the Chip Kelly era.